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Loughborough University Library

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The Pilkington Library opened in 1980. The Library is named after Lord Pilkington, the Chairman of glass manufacturers Pilkington Brothers (1949-73) and first Chancellor of the University from 1966-80. It was designed by the Faulkner-Brown, Hendy, Watkinson and Stonor architects. The Library building, which covers 7,777 square metres, is often described as an upside down pyramid. Unusually, the Library’s customers enter via a walkway onto the 3rd floor. This area is called Open3 in recognition of its purpose which is to provide an open area in which readers can study in groups, make use of some of the 140 workstations, chat or relax with a coffee in the nearby Café.

The second and first floors below provide the more traditional facilities associated with libraries such as over 400,000 books, 4000 printed journals, areas for quiet study and individual study carrels. In step with the ongoing expansion in electronic information provision, access to over 7000 e-journals and upwards of 200 databases is available via workstations spread throughout the Library. Members of Loughborough University can access many of these electronic resources from off-campus. Non-members are able to utilise the Library Catalogue and access to a number of general databases is also possible via the Web.

Wireless network has been implemented on all levels of the Library. In 2008, Rfid (radio frequency identification) technology was introduced to move to book self issue and return.

The Library also houses the University Archives which charts the history of the University from its early days as Loughborough College to its early incarnation as a University of Technology, the acquisition of Loughborough College of Education 1952-77 and Loughborough College of Art & Design to the modern University of today. The David Lewis Collection is also available in the Library to University staff and students (as well as members of the public). Included in this collection is historical material about Leicestershire and its topography.

As a major centre for research, an Institutional Repository has been established to house and provide open access to the University’s research output. This facility was fully established in 2006 with Loughborough joining approximately one third of the UK’s universities with a similar facility.